Sunday, April 18, 2010

"First, the left has a long history of outing (allegedly) gay Republicans. "

"The Left" doesn't exist a single monolithic thinking entity that can be hypocritical any more than "the Right" does.

Now, if you have quotes from John Aravosis or the folks who made "Outrage" saying that it's wrong to question the sexual preferences of Kagan, you'd actually have something...

But ascribing their tactics as concerns the outing of gay folks to everyone on the left is as foolish and misguided as blaming everyone at a protest for the signs, chants, and actions of the relative few who behave poorly. Some (left and right) believe in outing gay folks, and others (left and right) are opposed to it. (Me?... I'm for folks outing themselves--at this stage, I do think it helps folks realize that most gay people aren't flamboyant activists, and are instead pretty much like straight folks... Eventually, I hope it won't even be important enough to matter to much of anyone besides extremists, either way--but I'm not in favor of outing anyone against their will.)

The way I see it though, one is only a hypocrite if one says one thing when it's gay folks on their side being outed, and another when it's gay folks on the other being outed... Holding "the Left" or "the Right" responsible en mass for what a few individuals say on the subject--regardless of what it is they're saying--just doesn't pass muster...

The only person to blame (or congratulate) for what John Aravosis says is John Aravosis and the individuals who quote him approvingly. I fail to see how his words make everyone on "the Left" hypocrites... (And of course, the same goes for William A. Jacobson--or any other individual on the right--and "the Right," as a whole.)
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